Box-nailing press.



PATENTED' JAN. 15, 1907. H. A. & G. S. BASSPORD.

BOX NAILING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.16, 190s.

maroN, D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. BASSFORD AND GEORGE S. BASSFORD, OF VACAVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

BOX-NAILING PRESS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1 5, 1 907.

Application filed January 16, 1906. Serial No. 296.421.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HENRY A. BASSFORD and GEORGE S. BASSFORD, citizensof the United States, residing at Vacaville, in the county of Solano andState of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box-Nailing Presses, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to a device for use in nailing covers on fruit andother boxes.

In packing apples, pears, and the like for the market the box is filledso that the contents extend more or less above the edges of the box. Thecovers are usually th in boards, and they must be pulled down tight attheir ends to enable them to be nailed to the ends of the box.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple practical press forpulling down and holding the ends of the covers, so that the latter maybe nailed, which press is adapted to boxes of all sizes and which willautomatically release a box on the release of pressure.

It consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts,as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of thepress, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a modification of the same.

A represents a frame or table of any suitable description. On the top ofthis table are the angle-iron or equivalent guides 2 for centering andholding the box which is to be covered.

Suitably arranged below the table is a vertically-reciprocating carriage3, preferably constructed of ordinary pipe-fittings with suitable offsetT members 4, sliding on the vertical guides or standards 5. Springs 6act to move the carriage 3 normally upward toward the top of the table.The carriage is reciprocated in opposition to the springs 6 by suitablemeans, as the foot-lever 7, which is fulcrumed, as at 8, and isconnected to the carriage by the link 9. The carriage may be held at anysuitable level by engaging the dog rojection 10 on lever 7 in therack-teeth 11, ormed on the inside of the guide-straps 12. The carriage3 supports the bails 13, by which the ends of a cover are drawn downsnug onto the ends of the box.

A bail 13 may be made from a fiat metal bar bent into suitable shape soas to extend down on each side of the table A and to pivotally connect,as at 14, to the carriage. The upper horizontal'portion of the bails maybe twisted at their angles, so as to lie in planes substantially atright angles to the planes of the legs of the bails, thereby affording asuitable stiff straight edge to bear equally across the entire width ofthe box.

The legs of the bails may be of any suitable length, and they may beperforated, as at 15, to enable their pivots to be shifted to lengthenor shorten the bails, and so accommodate the device to boxes of anydesired depth. As the bails are freely turnable toward and from eachother on their pivots, they are capable of taking boxes of any length.The movement of the bails away from each other may be limited bysuitable means, as the stops 16.

In practice the bails are adjusted on their pivots on the carriage 3 toallow the bails to project the proper amount above the top of the table,depending on the depth of the box to be nailed. WVith a deep box thebails are pivoted nearer their ends than if a shallow box is to behandled. The box to be nailed is placed in its seat 2, the cover laid onthe box, and the bails turned inward to stand with their horizontalportions slightly inside of the planes of the ends of the box. Thefoot-lever 7 is then operated to pull down the carriage 3 and engage thebails with the ends of the covers to properly clamp the cover fornailing purposes. A slight lateral movement of the lever 7 engages thedog 10 with the rack 11. The cover may then be nailed on, after whichthe foot-lever7 is released, and the carriage and bails liftautomatically by reason of the springs 6. The bails are then thrownoutward to release the box, which may then be removed and a fresh oneinserted, the action being repeated indefinitely. I

In Fig. 2 we have shown a modification of the invention in which it ispossible to adjust the bails to boxes of various sizes and to clamp theboxes Without having to handle or guide the bails by hand in any manner.In this case the bails 13 are pivoted to the carriage 3, similarly asbefore described; but they are longitudinally slotted, as at 1-7, toreceive the guide-pins 18, which are capable of being adjustably securedin the holes 19, formed in the stationary part of the table. By engagingthe pins 18 in the slots 17 and in appropriate perforations 19,depending on the length of a box, it is possible to have the bails soact when the carriage 3 is moved down for the horizontal clampingportions of the bails to come down in exactly the right position ontothe cover and box. In this case the boxes are fed in from an end of thetable and through a bail rather than from the side of the table andbetween the bails, as in the first instance. The springs 6 normally actto lift the carriage 3 and the bails 13 to allow the ready ingressegress of the boxes. By suitably positioning the fulcrum-pins 18 in themanner described pressing down on the foot-lever 7 the clampinghorizontal l portions of the bails describe arcs which have theiradjacent terminii slightly within the planes of the ends of thepositioned box, leaving only enough of the ends of the cover projectingoutside of the bails for the purposes of nailing.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A box-nailing press comprising table, a carriage movable at rightangles to the plane of the table, verticallyadjustable clamping-bailspivoted to the carriage and movable to and from each other, means forreciprocating the carriage, and shiftable means on the table and formingfulcra for the bails to turn about in the vertical movements of thecarriage.

2. A box-nailing press comprising a table, a vertically-reciproeatingcarriage thereunder, clamping-bails extending across the ta ble andhaving their legs straddling the outer sides thereof, said legs beingpivoted to the carriage, and said table having a series of holes, andpins removably fitting said'holes and forming shiftable fulcra for thebails to turn about in the vertical movements of the carriage.

3. In a box-nailing press, the combination of a table having suitablebox-centering guides, a vertically-reciprocating carriage arranged belowthe table, said carriage cornposed of vertical and horizontalpipe-sections. clamping-bails extending across the table and down overthe outer sides thereof and having their lower ends pivotallyconnectedwith the carriage, said table having a series of holes, pins removablyfitting said holes and forming shiftable fulcra for the intermediateportions of the side arms of the bails, and means for reciprocating thecarriage.

4. In a box-nailing press, the combination of a suitable box-support, avertically-reciprocating carriage, bails extending across the supportand pivoted to the carriage, said bails having longitudinal slots, andadjustable pins fitting said slots, and carried by the support andforming fulcra for the bails to turn about in the vertical movements ofthe carriage, and means for reciprocating the carriage.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. BASSFORD. GEORGE s. BASSFORD.

Witnesses:

H. L. BASSFORD, L. P. BASSFORD.

